Why Do You Feel Empty?

Main message: The preacher introduces a new series on the Beatitudes (called "Flip It"), arguing that many people stage their lives to look fine while feeling empty, and that Jesus' Beatitudes invert the world's values by showing who the kingdom truly blesses.

Key points:

• Life is often "staged" like a model home: appearances look full and perfect but are empty beneath the surface.
• That staged script ("I'm fine," "Everything's great") contributes to hidden anxiety, loneliness, and exhaustion.
• Jesus announced the nearness of God's kingdom (repent, the kingdom has come) and a real kingdom has its own values.
• You can tell what a kingdom values by who it calls "blessed"; Jesus' list in the Beatitudes contrasts with cultural lists of who is honored.
• The series will examine how each Beatitude flips worldly assumptions about the good life.

Scriptures mentioned: Matthew 4:17, Matthew 5